QE2 turns heads in Sydney

It may be the little sister of the expanding Cunard fleet and no stranger to Sydney, but the QE2 can still turn heads.

Spending two nights at Circular Quay after its arrival in the harbour on Wednesday, the QE2 is attracting plenty of attention from locals and tourists alike.

The stopover is part of a 109-night world tour that takes in 42 ports, including Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth in the coming week.

While the towering 70,000 tonne ship is impossible to miss at its berth between the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House, it is now dwarfed by the growing number of mammoth cruisers now sailing the seas, some of which have visited Sydney in the past month.

Even within the Cunard line, the QE2 is now known as the "little sister", with the Queen Mary 2 more than twice the size and set to make its maiden world voyage in 2007.

The QM2's first visit to Australia, next February, will be made alongside the QE2 - which will be completing its 25th anniversary world voyage.

The dual visit is already being talked about by those in the business, with the QM2 having to dock at the naval wharf at Woolloomooloo because of its record-breaking size.

But the prestigious QE2 remains a favourite with the wealthy, and almost a quarter of its 1,791 passengers are repeat travellers.

The man at the helm, New Zealand-born Captain Christopher Rynd, is adamant the ship remains one of the world's best cruise liners.

"She's a lovely old ship and I've come to love her in my time here," Capt Rynd said of his 12 months at the helm.

Apart from the ship's speed and traditional onboard service, he says its stability at sea its greatest asset.

"She's such a great sea ship, I'm confident there's no other ship that handles rough seas as well as her," Capt Rynd said.